Plumbing fixture



Aug. 22, 1961 LL PLUMBING FIXTURE.

Filed March 3, 1959 a INVENTOR I 3; Eoouz. 2. HA\

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limited States Patent G 2,997,058 PLUMBING FIXTURE Eddie R. Hall, 314 2nd St., Chickasaw, Ala.

Filed Mar. 3, 195a, sir. No. 796,865 I 2 Claims. or. 137-360) This invention relates to a plumbing fixture which is particularly adapted for a shower bathtub combination where the tub pipe and the pipes for the hot and. cold water extend through one of the vertical side walls of the bathroom or other place where the fixture is located. Moreover, the invention is concerned with a spout for a bathtub having as an integral part thereof a diverter valve whereby water, either hot or cold, or a mixture of both may be diverted from the tub spout to a shower head.

An object of the invention is to provide a plumbing fixture for a bath or a combination shower and bath which may be quickly installed which because of its construction will save both time of installation and the cost of material.

Another object is the provision of a special fitting by means of which the outlet spout or tub filler may be quickly adjusted in a position flush with the vertical wall through which the tub filler pipe extends.

A further object is the provision of a novel connection between the tub filler and the tub filler pipe.

An additional object is the provision of a diverter or adapter which is inserted in the line which leads to the shower whereby to reduce the costs of materials and the time necessary to install the shower supply pipe.

Other objects will appear hereinafter throughout the specification, taken with the accompanying drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of the structure embodying this invention with the tub filler omitted for the purpose of clarity;

FIG. 2 is a vertical sectional view, partly in section and partly broken away, of a tub filler attached to a central inlet supply pipe and adapter;

FIG. 3 is a vertical sectional view of the horizontally arranged sleeve that supports the tub filler;

FIG. 4 is an enlarged vertical section, partly broken away, of the structure shown in FIG. 3; and

FIG. 5 is an elevation of the diverter or adapter.

It has been found that considerable difficulty is experienced in arranging the spout or tub filler sothat its end is flush with the wall through which the tub outlet conduit extends. The hot water inlet connections, including the valves and the handles for operating the same, also extend through the wall, but this presents no problem inasmuch as the valve casings of the hot and cold water inlet connections are usually of unvarying diameter. Moreover, a collar may sometimes be used for these valve casings. It is the tub outlet pipe, which contains either the hot or cold water or a mixture of both, and the connection of the spout thereto so that the latter will be flush against the wall that presents the problem which has been solved by the present invention.

Referring now to the drawings, and particularly to the structures shown in FIGURES 1 and 2, the numeral indicates a pipe coupling having vertical and horizontal arms in the form of a cross which may be composed of a single casting or may comprise several pipes which are connected to each other by brazing, soldering or by screw threads. The right and left extensions of the cross are indicated by the numerals 14 and 12.

Attached to these extensions are the pipes 16 and 18, and mounted on these pipes are the valve casings 20 and 22. These have downwardly extending portions 24 and 26, respectively, that are connected to the hot and cold water inlet pipes.

The amount of hot and/ or cold water flowing towards Faiehted Aug. 22-, 1961 the cross 10 is controlled by valve handles, not shown, that are attached to the knurled stud members 28 and 30 forming the ends of the valve stems.

All of the foregoing parts are conventional bathroom fixture parts, as well as the valve seats and heads, not shown, which are located within the valve casings 20 and 22. The cross has a. downward extension 32 formed integrally with or otherwise attached to the horizontal tub outlet conduit or supply pipe 34, which latter extends through a vertical wall or partition indicated by reference numeral 36 having an outlet opening indicated by the numeral 38. Preferably the outer circumferential portion of the tub outlet conduit 34 is smooth and this. is adapted to receive the adapter 40. This adapter is provided with a circumferential groove 42 for the reception of a packing or pressure ring 44, as particularly seen in FIGURES 3 and 4.

It will be understood that one or more grooves each with its packing ring may be provided in the adapter 40, and the packing ring may be constructed of elastic-like material.

Preferably this ring is composed of plastic material, such as neoprene. As indicated, the ring is preferably circular in cross section, and it extends slightly above the upper cylindrical surface 46 of the adapter 40.

This adapter is slid onto the outer circumferential surface of the tub outlet conduit 34 until it is in abutting relationship with the vertical wall or partition. A suitable mark is then made on the pipe conduit 34 at the right of the adapter as viewed in FIGURE 1. The adapter is then withdrawn from the pipe and the pipe sawed off along this line so that the sawed off end indicated at 38a in FIGURE 1 will be in vertical alignment with the right end of the adapter whose opposite end is in abutting relation with the finished wall 36.

As shown in FIGURE 2 the tub filler or spout 48 is provided with a brass collar 50 having an inner cylindrical portion 52 that is adapted to slide over the adapter 40 when the latter is fixed in its final position by brazing or soldering on the tub outlet conduit 34. This adapter is sealed and held in position by solder.

The tub filler or spout 48 is composed of a stainless steel or other non'corrosive metallic material of the usual type now in use in bathroom fixtures of this general type.

As may be noted by reference to FIGURE 2, the collar 50 and its inner cylindrical portion 52 are both provided with a screw threaded aperture for the reception of a locking screw 54. Collar 50 of the tub filler 48 is slid over the adapter 4%), and may be locked to the adapter by the screw 54 which engages the threads of the aperture as shown and engages the adapter. At this time the vertical wall 56 of the collar Sll of the spout is in abutting relation with the partition 36. With wall 56 lying in juxtaposed position with the partition 36, screw 54 is tightened so as to fix in proper position the spout or tub filler on the adapter 40, the operation of cutting off the excess end of the pipe along the line 38a and the soldering of the adapter 41 to the outlet pipe having been previously accomplished.

It will be understood that the spout 48 will be provided with a suitable valve means for preventing water from passing through the pipe 34 to the outlet of the spout 48 when it is desired to use the shower. This may be ac complished by providing any suitable type of valve in the spout, but I prefer to use the shower diverter valve illustrated in the Zinki-l Patent No. 2,022,875, granted December 3, 1935. When utilizing this construction, the disc diverter valve corresponding to the part 8 of said patent is positioned so as to be raised and close off the open end of the pipe 34, i.e., the end which is sawed oif on the line 38a of FIGURE 1. When this is done, assuming one or the other of the valves located in the valve casings 20 and 22 are opened, hot and/or cold water will pass up the pipe 70 to the shower head, not shown.

One manner of connecting the structure of the Zinkel patent to the nozzle is illustrated in FIGURE 2. In this figure is the nob 72 having bearings 74 and 76 in which slides the valve stem 78, which is attached to the disc valve 80. The valve slides on the seat 82 to the position shown in full lines to that shown in dotted lines, and the pressure of the water will, when the nob is lifted, maintain the valve 80 on its seat so as toclose the opening 84.

The structure shown in FIGURES 1 and 5 will now be described. This structure comprises a diverter connection 58 that is fitted or dropped into the upper open end of the extension 59 forming the upwardly extending portion of the cross. The diverter connection is provided with a shoulder 60 which rests upon the upper portion of the extension 59. Located below the shoulder 60, as seen in FIGURE 5, is the waist portion 62 having a lower shoulder 64 and a lower extension 66. The diverter connection 58 is provided with a central passageway 68 indicated in dotted lines in FIGURE 5. When the diverter is dropped into position, the shower pipe 70 is inserted within the upper circumferential portion of the diverter, and the diverter is soldered or brazed to the pipe 70 and extension 59.

Preferably all of the parts are soldered or brazed to each other, including the parts 10, 16, 18, 20, 22, 34, 40, 68 and 70, and the only other connection which is made, except the valve stems and supports thereof as attached to casings 20 and 22, is the connection between the inner cylindrical surface 52 and the outer cylindrical surface 46 of the spout and the adapter 40, these parts being held in sealed relationship to each other by the screw 54 and by the sealing pressure ring 44, the exposed surface of which is in sealing engagement with the inner cylindrical surface 52 of the spout.

As described above, it is possible without previously fitting or measuring the parts to each other to provide a fixture of the type described wherein the spout rear surface, such as shown at 56, may be adjusted so as to be completely flush with the wall or partition through which the tub outlet pipe 34 extends, inasmuch as it is only necessary, after the adapter 40 has been fixedly positioned with its rear wall in engagement with the partition by soldering or brazing, to slide the spout into place until its wall 56 is in engagement with the partition 36, after which the screw '54 is tightened to lock the parts in position. The diverter connection or coupling 58 is of such dimension that its lower extension 66 is positioned with its outlet 86 no higher than about a quarter of an inch from the lower inner surfaces of the horizontal extensions 12 and 14 of the cross, and it may project downwardly into the extension 32, as shown in dotted lines in FIGURE 1. In any case, this lower extension 66 of the diverter acts as a baffle for the incoming water from the pipes 16 and/or 18. The provision of this diverter connection, located as shown and described, eliminates the requirement for a valve in the extension '56 or in the pipe 70 to which it is connected. In other words, assuming it is 4 desired to use the tub with its pipe.34 and its spout 48, it is only necessary to operate either or both of the valves within the casings 20 and 22. All of the incoming water will then move down through the pipe 34, assuming the diverter valve in the spout is in its open position, without any of the water finding its way up the pipe 70.

It will be understood that applicants invention is not in any way limited by the diverter connection 58 or the shower pipe 70. In other words, applicants structure may be used without utilizing the shower connection, including one or more of the parts 56, 58 and 70, and may be used solely as a plumbing fixture for tubs and not necessarily a combination fixture for tubs and showers.

The term tub in the claims is intended to include a sink, such as a kitchen sink, or a bowl or other receptacle of any type.

The above description and drawings disclose a single embodiment of the invention, and specific language has been used in describing the several figures. It will, nevertheless, be understood that no limitations of the scope of the invention are thereby contemplated, and that various alterations and modifications may be made such as would occur to one skilled in the art to which the invention relates.

I claim:

1. A bath and shower fixture comprising a tub outlet extending through a wall, a variably adjustable tub filler spout, said spout having an enlarged body portion, a member in said enlarged body portion having a cylindrical smooth internal unthreaded aperture, an adjustable variable adapter having an outer smooth unthreaded cylindrical surface of substantially the same outer diameter as the inner diameter of said aperture, said adapter having a cylindrical groove on its outer cylindrical surface, a packing ring seated in said groove and projecting slightly above the cylindrical surface of said adapter to sealingly engage the surface of said member aperture, said adapter having an inner cylindrical unthreaded surface to adjustably variably engage the outlet pipe, means for permanently fixing said adapted in position on said outlet pipe, whereby the said tub filler spout and said adapter may be mounted in close flush position against the wall, and means for locking said parts in said flush position.

2. Structure of claim 1 wherein said packing ring comprises a ring of plastic material, said ring being substantially circular in cross-section.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,639,248 Zolleis Aug. 16, 1927 1,649,895 Gade Nov. 22, 1927 1,653,956 Glauber Dec. 27, 1927 1,790,317 Mueller Jan. 27, 1931 2,022,875 Zinkil Dec. 3, 1935 2,663,539 Kersten Dec. 22, 1953 2,791,231 Bletcher May 7, 1957 2,795,370 Camp June 11, 1957 2,846,691 Zettinig Aug. 12, 1958 

